Downloading video files for playback on your computer

Most of our video productions are available for downloading from our site so that you can play them on your computer without being connected to the internet. We provide multiple formats for each video so that you can use the files in whichever presentation software you prefer. If you are using a Windows computer and PowerPoint (or Windows Media Player) as your presentation software, then you will want to download the .WMV (Windows Media) formatted file. If you are using a MAC then you will want to download the .MP4 formatted file which will work in most presentation software (including Quicktime) on a MAC. You can check with your software to see if additional file formats are supported on either platform.

If you are unsure how to connect your laptop/computer to your projector, there are plenty of tutorials online. Here is one posted on YouTube that gives you a walk through of connecting your laptop to your projector through the VGA port.

Playing our videos from YouTube or Vimeo on a Set Top Box(No Computer Needed)

There are a number of set top boxes that have been introduced recently that will allow you to watch videos from our online YouTube and Vimeo libraries without having a computer connected to your projector or TV. Most of the newer boxes do require an HDMI connection on your projector or TV. A projector purchased within the last 2-3 years should have this type of connection but you will want to check the documentation on your projector to ensure that yours does have an HDMI input. Your projector might have a DVI connection and you should be able to us an HDMI to DVI adapter/cable to connect your box. The main difference between HDMI and DVI (besides the form factor) is that HDMI carries audio over the cable and DVI does not. Any TV purchased within the last 4-5 years should have this type of connection. Most of these boxes, unfortunately, do not come with an HDMI cable so you will need to make sure you have one available when you are ready to hook up the box.

If you are planning to connect one of these boxes to a projector that is a long distance from the set top box (as in most chapels), you may need to purchase an HDMI signal booster to go along with any HDMI cable that is more than 50ft long. 50ft is considered the optimal distance for an HDMI signal as the signal may degrade on longer cable runs. You can also purchase HDMI over Cat5 extenders that will allow you to send the signal over very long distances (150-300ft) using inexpensive Cat5 (ethernet network) cables.

Here is a look at some of the more popular set top boxes that are available today. We have tried each of these and can verify that they will work.

Apple TV

The Apple TV set top box ($99) is probably the best known internet connected set top box on the market. The Apple TV is limited to only a few Apps, however, they include YouTube and Vimeo which works out for us. The Apple TV is also the only set top box that will allow you to view content purchased from iTunes.

Roku

The Roku box ($59-$99) is probably the simplest/easiest to use set top box on the market but it has a disadvantage in that it does not (at this time) have a YouTube channel. It does have an open developer platform and, as such, we have been able to create our own channel for our live streaming programs. You can add our channel by following the instructions on this page. Once added, you will be able to watch all of our live streaming events (Congress, CBLI, CMI, Cadet's Welcome, etc) from your projector or TV.

Google TV

Google TV set top boxes (and TVs with built-in Google TV) are relatively new and, since Google TV is an open platform, multiple manufacturers have begun to make inexpensive versions of the boxes. Google TV uses the Android Operating System and, as such, has apps for various video services (ie. YouTube and Vimeo) as well as other useful functions. The $99 Hisense Pulse (pictured here) is one example of these Google TV set top boxes. Other Google TV boxes include the Sony Google TV, Vizio CoStar and Netgear NeoTV Prime.

NeoTV NTV300

The Netgear NeoTV NTV300 is the least expensive of the boxes listed here and can be found for as little as $39. It has a simple but limited interface and does include both a YouTube channel and a Vimeo channel.

Setting up a YouTube or Vimeo Account

In order to easily view our videos on any of these devices, it is recommended that you set up an account on each service. This will allow you to subscribe to our videos and then they will show up on each device under your "Subscriptions". You can subscribe to our accounts by clicking on these links to our channels.

The YouTube channel will include all of our videos including the longer ones such as Commissionings and other events (Cadet's Welcome, Regeneration, CMI, etc.). The Vimeo channel generally only includes our shorter videos (Into the World, promos, etc.).

Let us know if you have any further questions about viewing our videos by contacting us.